Jack is not a seasoned traveler.

Trust me, we tried.  We flew to South Padre Island with my parents when Jack was a baby.  He was cute until the plane took off, at which time he started screaming so loud that other mothers on the plane rushed to my aid.  We did manage to get a cute picture of him near the cockpit.

Looking back at this, I clearly see in his eyes that he is about to let us have it.
I think the stewardess can feel it, too.

We also flew with Jack to Florida when he was slightly older and had a broken leg.  I can't even describe this flight in any more detail or I'll start to sweat from the memories of it all.  The blog post describing that was titled "Toddlerpocalypse." 

But we hadn't been to Albuquerque in ten years, Durel and I.  Which is entirely unacceptable.  And so, with the courage that comes from a few stressful weeks at work and a nice Pinot Noir, we had plane tickets and a plan.  The Bernards were going to the desert.

How was that, you ask?  

Can you fly direct from Austin to Albuquerque, you ask?

No, you cannot.  

Sigh.

Durel and I got up at 4:30 a.m. to shower, have coffee, and load the car.  We got the boys into the car (Jack even got dressed!) and were on our way.  We used the family friendly valet at the Austin airport which is THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD, and were through security without too much trouble.  My friend had lent me one of those things where you tie your baby onto you (the name of which I can never remember, but it's less cumbersome than a Moby).  

We felt good.  Really good.

We were scheduled to change planes in Dallas at Love Field.  They've recently renovated Love Field and it's totally nice now. 

Thank goodness for this.  

We had some breakfast.  We had more coffee.  We colored a picture.

And then, we learned that our one hour layover was extended, oh, indefinitely.  I'll save you the suspense.  It was extended to five hours.  

Did we lose our minds?  No.  Did we give our children to wandering gypsies?  No.  Did we tear our hair out?  Not really.  

We had lunch.  We visited all the shops.  We explored the terminal.  We colored pictures.  We made paper airplanes out of those pictures.  We learned that it's harder than you remember to make a good paper airplane.  We practiced our letters on the dry erase board.  We had snacks.  I adversely possessed the family bathroom.  All in all, we thrived and survived.

And arrived.

And as a testament to his awesomeness, not that we needed one, Sawyer slept most of the day.  Praise be.

Cristy and Dagwood were not only happy to see us, but they were prepared to reward our long day of travel with beverages containing alcohol.  We were happy to see them, too.  

It was not that bad.  And it was the only 'bump' in a great trip.

Hope you tell the first part of a super awesome story today.

Talk soon,

Heather

sawyer update

Sawyer is, quite simply, an awesome baby.

Here's proof:

-- He wakes up once a night to feed and goes straight back to sleep.  While I look forward to him sleeping through the night, this is pretty decent of him.

-- He giggles.  That's the best sound in the world.

-- He weighs 14 pounds, 12 ounces.  Not too shabby for a preemie.

-- He farts.  And apparently I'm a six year old boy, because that is HILARIOUS to me.

-- He's still allergic to dairy.  But I don't mind.  The only thing I miss is pizza, and I don't need to be eating pizza anyway.

-- He is about to roll over.  He makes it onto his side and then flails a bit with his legs.  Any day now, that flail will turn into a flip and it'll be a milestone.  Jack has taken it upon himself to work with Sawyer on rolling over.  Being a big brother requires you to step up, you know.

-- He is Batman.  (Oh, and he grasps things!)

I hope you use your super powers today.

Talk soon,
Heather

throwback thursday

The Bernard family took to the air last week and visited the Albuquerque Davies and Reeves.  It was awesome.  Pictures and stories galore will be forthcoming.

In the meantime, as we return to work, inboxes, sleep training, and the (relative) humidity of the Texas Hill Country, I'll ask you to bear with us.

Oh, and it's Throwback Thursday.  Here's Jack and I for you, 4 years ago in the hazy summer days of 2010.

I can't remember who took this picture, but it was one of my Mama Friends from Jack's baby daycare.  I have that outfit in Sawyer's dresser right now.  I wonder if it would fit him, or if he's just dairy-free chunked up right past it.

Also, should I cut my hair?

Hope you ask an existential question inspired by a throwback today.

Talk soon,
Heather

in the dark of nap

I think it takes an angelic personality to care for babies all day.  (I mean, a poopy diaper is one thing.  But multiple poopy diapers a day?  Times like six babies?  Oy vey.  I repeat, angelic.)

Luckily, Sawyer's teacher has just that personality.  Durel and I think she's completely awesome.

Jack is usually too shy to talk to her, though he can't take his eyes off her.  I suspect Jack thinks she's completely awesome, too.

Sawyer's face lights up at the sound of her voice, and in the dark of nap time, he makes faces at her.

Apparently, the family vote on her awesomeness is unanimous.

Hope someone makes your face light up today.

Talk soon,
Heather

a life aquatic

Hey you guys.

Jack can swim.  

Like, he goes underwater and swims to the steps.  He can dive down and grab toys.  He uses his arms and legs in appropriate motions to move through the water.

He's pretty psyched about it.

We're pretty psyched about it, too.  

You can't NOT swim when you grow up in Texas.  It's hotter than hell.   Until you are old enough to drink frozen margaritas, swimming is pretty much the best way to cool off.  (Even when you're an adult, swimming *while* drinking a margarita is pretty great.)

On a related note, Jack is now seriously grown up.  He's 4 and a half.  He does very four and a half year old things like: strolling through the kitchen to the pantry and grabbing a snack.  Or, opening the fridge, grabbing two carrots, making the dogs sit, and rewarding them with the carrots as a treat.  (Our dogs love carrots.)

Also, his current career aspirations are to "feed Sawyer from a bottle" and "go swimming."  

I don't blame him one bit.

Hope you stroll somewhere for a snack today.

Talk soon,
Heather